PJB-2017-568
EFFECTS OF POTASSIUM NUTRITION ON SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF COTTON (GOSSYPIUM HIRSUTUM L.) CROP
Sagheer Ahmad
Abstract
The integrated nutrient management holds pivotal position, not only to increase productivity, but also harvesting the yield potential of the crop varieties under various farm management practices. The balanced nutrition promises to uphold the fertilizer-use-efficiency as well as to be cost-effective at the farm level. Therefore, present investigation was carried out in two successive seasons of 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the effects of potassium nutrition on some of physiological parameters and productivity of cotton crop. The treatments consisted of three potassium levels and two application regimes [(a) 0.0, 100 and 150 kg K2O ha-1 (b) soil and soil plus foliar]. Three 2 % K2O foliar sprays were done at day 30, 60, 90 after sowing. Treatments were organized in split plot randomized complete block design and were replicated four times. The cotton variety �Cyto-178� was used as test crop. Obtained results revealed that addition of 150 kg K2O ha-1 applied through soil and foliar sprays caused increase in plant height by 34 % over untreated check. The membrane leakage was reduced by 28 % by K-fertilization. The chlorophyll contents �a� and �b� were improved by addition of 150 kg K2O ha-1 with additional foliar spray for three times during the growth period. Furthermore, growth parameters (crop growth rate, net assimilation rate) were improved by 15 and 30 %, respectively by the addition of 150 kg K2O ha-1 along with foliar sprays. The gas exchange characteristics (net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductivity, water -use- efficiency and intercellular CO2 concentration were improved by 128 %,61 %,57%,41% and 24%, respectively by the addition of 150 kg K2O ha-1 in combination with application of K-fertilizer through foliar spray. The economic befit was decreased by harvesting higher quantum of seed cotton yield by 29 % by the addition of 150 kg K2O ha-1 coupled with soil as well as foliar application of 2.0 % K2O at day 30,60 and 90 after sowing. Key words: Potassium fertilizer, transgenic cotton, growth parameters, gas exchange parameters, seed cotton yield.
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